Did you notice that the … had been removed??

Analyze the question: The sentence is "Did you notice that the ___ had been removed?" We need the correct form of the phrase meaning the tag that shows a price.

Explain the concept: In English, a noun can act as an adjective to modify another noun. This is called a noun adjunct (or attributive noun). The modifying noun is normally singular and takes no apostrophe or "s".

Examples:

• shoe shop (not "shoes shop")
• bus stop
• school bag
• price tag

Possessive forms (price's, prices') are used when something belongs to the noun, as in "the boy's book". A tag does not belong to a price. The tag simply shows or carries the price, so the relationship is descriptive, not possessive.

Step-by-step check:

• A. price's tag - suggests the tag belongs to a single price. This is unnatural and incorrect.
• B. price tag - a noun adjunct. This is the standard, correct compound noun.
• C. prices tag - the plural form without an apostrophe is ungrammatical here.
• D. prices' tag - suggests the tag belongs to several prices. This is wrong in meaning.

Answer: The correct sentence is: "Did you notice that the price tag had been removed?"

Exam tip: When one noun describes the type or purpose of another noun (price tag, phone charger, door key, exam hall), use the singular form with no apostrophe. Use an apostrophe only when you can say that something belongs to the first noun.